Poa! internet, a community internet service provider (ISP) in Kenya, has commenced a strategic expansion plan that will double its network coverage area by the end of April, after being ranked 4th place with 7.5% market share in 2019 by the Communications Authority (CA). The new networks will then be followed in June by the launch of six additional networks across new parts of Kenya, making the ISP five times their current size in just a few months. “Poa is already the fastest growing community ISP in Kenya,” said Andy Halsall, CEO of poa! Internet, “but we are now really…
Author: Khusoko
Khusoko
Khusoko provides market insights into Africa's business investment as well as global trends that impact East African businesses.
Former OLX Country Manager and an ex-Amazon Head of Product have launched GoBEBA, an on-demand e-commerce logistics platform in Kenya, that allows customers to shop directly from local merchants and have their goods delivered to them. GoBEBA will also help distribute goods to micro-retailers in small urban centers across the country. Mr. Peter Ndiang’ui, GoBEBA’s Founder and former OLX Country Manager, noted that Africa’s growing young population and burgeoning middle class presents a huge opportunity for e-commerce and logistics companies but to gain widespread consumer adoption, the approach needs to be localized better than the current global players in the…
Prime office rents in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area are forecast to remain steady with rental yields currently at 8.1%, compared to the real estate market average of 7.4%. This has resulted in office space supply growing at a 23.6% CAGR between 2012 and 2018. Another factor is the demand from growing Small Micro enterprises (SMEs) and multinationals setting up operations in Nairobi, with Kenya being the regional hub for East Africa. In 2018, the sector recorded a supply of 9.0 mn SQFT, against a demand of 3.8 mn SQFT, hence an oversupply of 5.2 mn SQFT, resulting in an increase…
Safaricom Home Fibre customers can now enjoy Easter holidays with one-month unlimited access to Showmax at no cost. “We are glad to partner with Showmax to bring a whole world of fun and entertainment to our customers. Our fibre service has continued to record strong demand to connect more homes as more families seek to take advantage of the different possibilities, from a wide selection of entertainment options, home security, to the ability to comfortably work from home. We remain keen on such partnerships in an effort to meet this demand,” said Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Customer Officer, Safaricom. All Safaricom…
Economists at Genghis Capital Ltd, an Investment Bank, on Monday said Kenya’s budget deficit is estimated to decline at the end of the 2018/19 fiscal year, but expressed concerns over absorption of funds. In a 2Q19 Macro-Economic & Fixed Income Outlook, the Analysts said the fiscal deficit will decline to 6.0% of gross domestic product at the end of FY2018/19, down from 7.2% at the end of FY2017/18. “We do not expect the current revenue measures will boost collection in the final quarter, in light of the 15.2% underperformance as compared to pro-rated target (KES 945.6Bn –vs- KES 1.1Tn),” noted…
Standard Chartered Bank has launched the Africa eXellerator innovation lab in Kenya to promote innovation within the bank as well as to tap emerging financial technologies. Kenya becomes the 5th country to launch the eXellerator innovation lab. “If we really want to make a difference and innovate for our clients, we have to partner with fintechs,” said Kariuki Ngari, CEO Stanchart during the launch. “We are a connector bank – connecting clients, markets and products with networks and facilitating trade and investment across our global footprint across some of the fastest growing markets. We are establishing an innovation centre in…